Former Allentown city Councilman W. Michael Donovan said today he is gathering signatures to get on the ballot as an unaffiliated candidate challenging Mayor Ed Pawlowski this fall.

Donovan served on city council as a Democrat for one term from 2008-11 but did not seek re-election. The Cedar Crest College professor will make a formal announcement April 9, and said he’ll discuss in detail his reasons for running at that time.